Many measuring, marking, and cutting tasks in the building trades and related fields are characterized by somewhat incompatible goals. The tradesman would like to do his measuring and cutting accurately but he is also concerned with the efficiency of his work including speed, simplicity, and comfort. This is especially true when the tradesman needs to carry out a series of repetitive tasks involving measuring, such as: preparing pickets for a fence, setting up slots for a porch rail, installing studs, and marking and cutting floor and sealing joists and rafters. Such tasks also include marking off sections of plaster board, panel, other wall board, and cardboard, and cutting these materials. Such tasks might also involve marking off metal sections for cutting.
Various complex jigs have been created to mark and cut under such circumstances. Furthermore a number of built-in or retro-fit constructions have been developed for association with tape measuring devices to carry out the simultaneous measuring and marking of a workpiece. These devices are used to make a mark on a workpiece at a given length by attaching the marking device to the case of the tape measure and creating the mark by moving the case back and forth.
There are a number of disadvantages to this later approach. Under some circumstances the friction of the tape measure body or the tape itself on the workpiece causes a jerky movement during the marking which can result in inaccuracies. If the device is being used for cutting soft materials such as plaster board or cardboard, one or more measured marks must be made and then the mark must be extended by the use of a square or the like. Only then can the cut be made. Similarly, if a long mark or cut must be made, then numerous marks must first be made and then joined by the edge of a long straightedge. If a cut must be made, this involves a separate step. In all of the above cases, several tools must be used, or several steps carried out, or both.
These and other difficulties experienced with the prior art have been obviated in a novel and unobvious manner by the present invention. It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide for accurate measuring, marking, and cutting of workpieces using a single assembly.
It is another object of the invention to provide a measuring tool adapted to make long marks or cuts parallel to an edge.
A further object of the invention is to provide a measuring tool adapted to mark or cut circles.
It is another object of the invention to provide a measuring tool with which accurate marks and accurate cuts may be made using the same device.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a measuring, marking, and cutting tool which has an aesthetically pleasing visual effect, both as a whole and in each of its main component parts.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a tool as described above which is inexpensive to make and simple to use and which will provide a long useful life with minimum maintenance.
With these and other objects in view, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of parts set forth in the specification, illustrated in the drawings, and covered by the claims appended to this specification.